


cherry red

by haftsuka



Category: Twisted-Wonderland (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Best Friends, Cakeverse, Cannibalistic Thoughts, F/M, Heavy Petting, Mild Blood, Naked Female Clothed Male, Oral Sex, Protectiveness, Requited Unrequited Love, Suicidal Thoughts, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:33:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27459526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haftsuka/pseuds/haftsuka
Summary: Ace has a hidden craving that only his close friend, Yuu, can satisfy. But Yuu knows more than she's letting on.
Relationships: Ace Trappola/Yuu | Player
Comments: 6
Kudos: 38





	1. buildup

**Author's Note:**

> i'm back with another fic experimenting with a new kind of universe that I saw on the JP fic side of the twst fandom: cakeverse (though, it seems to have originated from korean fandom). think of it as like omegaverse except with the roles & traits/dynamics changed up... i guess? (in truth i actually don't know shit about omegaverse)
> 
> you might have noticed the word "red" keeps appearing in my fic titles. it was an accident. i decided to continue it, but honestly none of these fics have any relation to each other
> 
> oh and - i started twitter recently! i'll be tweeting along with the usual blogging on tumblr / posting on here... check it out https://twitter.com/haftsuka

Ace's heart was soaring even if his health wasn't. His mom let him take a day off from school when he woke up with a pounding headache. His nose had started running soon after. Tissue stuffed up his nostrils, he powered up his game console and played until his mom called him down.   
  
When he did, stumbling down the steps and feet pitter-pattering over the wooden flooring all the way to Mom, the kitchen was bright and glittering. Rays of sun shone through the windowpanes, enveloping the whole place in a holy aura. His mom was all smiles as she wiped her hands on her apron, the apron she always used when baking. He grinned back. The air was warm on Ace's cheeks.  
  
His mom pulled away a thin cloth hiding away the surprise Ace had been waiting for -- a fresh cherry pie. It was a special treat, something he'd never had before on a school day. He couldn't help but balance on the tips of his toes to brush his fingertips over the counter to grab it, but his mom, laughing, batted it away with a gloved mitt before cutting a slice for him. Ace scrambled up the bar stool lined up by the kitchen before the plate even hit the counter. Right next to the gooey cherries and crisp and buttery crust was a silver fork that he snatched up and dug into the dessert.  
  
When he brought it to his lips, he tasted ash. The taste was so unexpected that he coughed it up, depositing a red lump onto the bone white china. His mom watched wide-eyed, asking what was wrong. Ace could only shake his head, deeply upset but not sure why.  
  
"It's bad," he said. He wiped his mouth with the neck of his shirt. The shirt sleeve came back a bright, unnatural red.  
  
His mom was near speechless. Her eyes flickered down to the spit-up pie then back up to her teary-eyed son. 

“It’s okay, Ace,” she said soothingly, half to him, half to herself. “It’s just your stuffy nose. I’ll save this and you can have it when you feel better.”

Ace just nodded as the pie was picked up again and hidden once more under aluminum foil. He just had to get better - then everything would be back to normal.

His sinuses did get better after two days. His sense of taste, though? He’d lost every last bit of it—a fair amount of his sense of smell, too, even. He didn’t know what had happened to him until an afternoon lesson in class.  
  
"There are dangerous people you should be careful around," his elementary teacher had said, pointer finger on a news headline projected on the white board. "We call them Forks."

* * *

When Ace's lips touch Yuu's for the very first time, the only thing on his mind is how sweet she smells and how much sweeter she might taste between his teeth. His eyes are slits as he regards his dearest friend's enraptured expression shivering underneath his wandering touch. It’s been months since that fateful day when he’d laughed his lungs out with her on Main Street.  
  
Ace Trappola wasn't born into this world with the unique characteristics that he bears today, but those days are so far back that Ace remembers them as vaguely as every tasteless bit of food he has had to force himself to swallow down during meal time.  
  
Ace Trappola is a Fork. It's not an easy reality to stumble upon in itself, and that weight is made heavier by the TV specials that focus so often on the corpses of the poor individuals who were made meals by cannibalistic Forks. He's seen enough gruesome images himself, maybe even looked at them more than the average person. Sometimes when he catches a whiff of the pancakes his mom makes on Saturday mornings not from a food but a passerby on the street, he needs reminders to keep his feet rooted on the ground.   
  
Ace let that slip from his mind the second he laid eyes--no, breathed in Yuu's smell as it carried itself on a breeze to him. He moved before he could even think, jumping into the conversation the visitor from another world was having with Grim the most natural way he knew how. That was their first meeting, and many days have passed since then. 

Today is a school day, the last one of the week. Yuu comes over to Heartslabyul for once with Riddle's approval.  
  
All traces of the sun have fallen away from the Heartslabyul dorms, casting it in long shadows that swap out the dorm's usual gaudiness for a feeling of danger that hums low in the bloodstream. Ace is glad for his glove as his left hand begins to sweat pulling Yuu along through the winding hallways to his room. Their long casted shadows walk side-by-side with them as they go. While Ace has spent his after school time following his dorm head’s whimsical rules, Yuu has already gone and changed at Ramshackle Dorm into a loose-fitting t-shirt and a spare pair of slacks that she owns.  
  
After wrapping up the usual Heartslabyul routine work, his three roommates have already packed up and went away for a track club field trip. The idea sounded fun until Deuce told Ace they’d be waking up at 6 a.m. for a group morning run. With all of Ace’s roommates away for the day, it will just be him and Yuu in the wide open space provided for the four beds the first-years were given. That in mind, Ace’s sweat-soaked hand slides over the door knob as he twists it to show Yuu inside his room.  
  
An unease sneaks its way into Ace’s conversation with Yuu as soon as he slips himself inside too. The conversation that flows between them is stilted, an unusual occasion for the pair. Yuu is inspecting photos on the wall of Ace's side of the room when her eyes fall on a certain picture that she had taken with her Ghost Camera - a selfie of her and Ace. She doesn't even have the chance to open her mouth after she turns around.  
  
Ace has the Prefect pinned against the striped wall. It’s sudden and despite everything, Ace is as breathless from his behavior as the Prefect. How many times has he fantasized about having a taste of the food he’d given up for lost? It’s pure luck that all three of his roommates are out for the day. Yuu is set out on a silver platter for Ace, yet he’d tried to cancel plans at first. Just thinking about the current situation he’s in is enough to send his heart racing off a cliff.   
  
Ace holds Yuu's chin with his left hand as his right travels the length of her waist, tilting her head back to deepen the kiss. As soon as he does, the taste of cherry bursts over his taste buds, so intense he squeezes his eyes shut. When he's able to open them back up again, shivering head to toe, Yuu is looking up at him with the eyes of a doe. He breaks the kiss, drunken on the taste of the most cherished food of his childhood. He manages to control himself enough to quirk his lips up into a mischievous smile.  
  
"That good, huh?" he asks.  
  
Yuu draws in breaths shallowly, cheeks red and eyes watering ever so slightly. Even the smell of her breath is heavy with the scent of sugared cherries. Ace feels excitement shoot down his spine until he’s tingling from the top of his head to the tip of his toes.  
  
It's only until Yuu winces that Ace realizes he's got an iron grip on her arm. He starts, letting go but not fully separating from Yuu. Sweat begins to run down Ace's back as the bit of reason he has left in him shifts his mind back to reality. The person in front of him may not have meant anything to him when they first met, but now she's become someone far more important.  
  
She isn't just food - even if she tastes damn good. For a second, Ace wants to cough a dry, derisive laugh. Acknowledging that she’s important means acknowledging how big of a part she plays in his life. A magicless, pushover of an alternate-universe teenaged girl. And yet, she always is the one who takes the reins when nobody else is willing to step up in a predicament. Selflessly, self-sacrificingly.  
  
Ace draws his eyebrows tight, conflict clear on his face. "Yuu, I think we should--"  
  
The words die on his lips as Yuu pulls his head down for another deep and fruity kiss. Ace shivers as he fights not to bite down on her tongue, and Yuu takes this as her chance to push on his chest after breaking the kiss. Ace falls unceremoniously onto his bed, springs squealing underneath his prone body. Before he can prop himself up, Yuu straddles his torso, smiling victoriously over him.  
  
"You're a Fork, aren't you?" she says.  
  
"How did you-" Ace stammers. His attempts at inching back are met with Yuu continuously closing the distance until his back hits his headboard.   
  
"I wondered why you approached me the first day. I didn't believe that reason you came up with. Then I noticed you covering your nose around me more often than not," she begins explaining. "I'm not stupid. I've been around Forks before, and I've seen them do the exact same thing."  
  
Without meaning to, jealousy weaves itself into Ace’s voice. "You've been around other Forks?"  
  
Yuu pokes Ace's nose teasingly. "You're the only one I care about."  
  
Slowly, so that Yuu doesn't react, Ace shifts his weight. "Either way. You really gotta be careful around the company you keep."  
  
Yuu tilts her head, ready to ask a question before she's interrupted entirely. Leaning on one hand, Ace uses the other to grab Yuu's shoulder and force her backwards until she's laying face-up on Ace's bed underneath him. Her forehead is burning hot against Ace's. Ace's menacing grin falters for a moment, his attention falling on the length of Yuu's fluttering eyelashes. It dawns on Ace the sheer amount of details he's skimmed over because of the simple fact that Yuu is a Cake and he is a Fork.   
  
"Tell me more," Ace murmurs while burying his head into the crook of her neck. For the first time, he catches the scent of lemon intermingling with the cherries. "Tell me when you found out you wanted me."  
  
"I'll tell you right now that it wasn't when I realized you wanted to eat me," she replies. "Which you've done a very bad job of doing, by the way."  
  
Ace frowns at her response. He doesn't appreciate his rare show of earnestness being met with attitude, and the pull of the feelings he has for Yuu are a sore spot for him. His irritation gnaws at him until a brilliant idea takes hold.  
  
"Well, if you're not going to say anything with your mouth, I guess I'll ask your body?" he says while kissing the length of her neck. He is going to make her _squirm_. 

When he reaches Yuu’s jawline, he repositions himself to comfortably press his lips against Yuu's.  
  
What begins as several shallow kisses grows deeper until his tongue is once again tangled in hers. Unlike before, the sweet taste of fruit pie doesn't hit him over the head like a bag of bricks. It's the same powerful flavor from before, but Ace is able to watch every shift of Yuu's expression as she melts from his ministrations again.  
  
The next time Ace pulls away, he wipes his mouth to speak. "Stick out your tongue."  
  
Yuu widens her eyes. Bashfulness melts away any bold response she could possibly cook up. Before she can say anything back, Ace gives her a soft kiss on the lips. He pulls away and repeats the words, firmer this time.  
  
Yuu obeys hesitantly, propping herself up on her elbows. Ace takes the chance to wrap his lips around her tongue and give it a good suck. A low moan leaves Yuu's mouth, sending shivers down Ace's spine. At this point, he's swallowed enough of Yuu's saliva that his head begins to swim slightly. For a flash, his mind is on sunny afternoons spent with his mom in the kitchen, of the sound that pie makes when the fork cuts into the flaky, buttery crust.   
  
His fingers start to travel over Yuu's back before he pinches the fabric between his pointer finger and thumb. A question passes over Yuu's face before it dawns on her what just happened. Her arms fly to her chest, instinctively moving to protect her now freed breasts. Ace can't help himself from doing a victory pose in his head for being able to do the trick the first actual time he tried.   
  
Outwardly, he smiles innocently and purrs into Yuu's ear, tracing circles over the fabric of her shirt. "Looks like your bra fell apart. Why don't you pull this off so you can hook it back together?"  
  
She sits for a moment in silence before pulling off her plain t-shirt in one fluid motion. The fabric slips from her hand and crumples onto the floor. Ace is stunned when he sees the triumphant look on her face. He has to shake his head to pull himself back together, but it's too late. Yuu is already over Ace before he can protest.  
  
Ace grows still underneath her. Hesitantly, he opens his mouth. "How many Forks have you been with?"  
  
Straddled over Ace, Yuu leans back and holds her chin as if in thought. She tilts her head and smiles. "Too many to count."  
  
"Any in this world?" Ace asks.  
  
"There aren't Forks in my world," is Yuu's simple response. She lowers herself to lay a trail of kisses on Ace's neck.  
  
Ace tangles one hand in her hair and lays the other on her hip. He finds himself absently fiddling with the seam of her slacks. "You're going to tell me some names later."  
  
Yuu laughs mid-kiss, puffing a ticklish breath against Ace's collarbone. He brushes the backs of his fingers against Yuu's cheek and she looks up at him.  
  
"How much do you want to die?" Ace asks.   
  
The air of the room stills for a moment under the weight of his words. Yuu's eyes widen, her mouth opening then closing. She averts her eyes and tucks in her chin.  
  
"Only a little," Yuu answers honestly. The playful look on her face vanishes for a moment, revealing a sobered expression that tells of hardship. "Actually, maybe a lot. But I like the thrill the most."  
  
"Huh," Ace huffs. The affectation of disinterest is offset by a deep intensity in his ruby red eyes.   
  
Yuu takes hold of Ace's hand and guides it to her chest. Ace tenses at the contact, but Yuu only smiles.  
  
"My heart's racing," she says. "And it's because it's you."  
  
Sweat, once again, begins to bead over the surface of Ace's palms. Never once had he imagined his friend to put herself up on the silver platter for him to feast. It seems she's doing it because of love, but what normal person would put their life up for grabs at their ripe age? They aren't Romeo and Juliet. He's a predator and she's prey. Ace knows -- it's what the newscasters have said his whole life.   
  
The irritation from before comes scratching back up to the surface again in a completely different form. Ace has spent so much of his life having to hide away this side of himself, pretending to swallow down his meals like any other normal person, putting up his very best pretense at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and every other family dinner. What makes it so easy for Yuu to bare her neck to Ace as if she knew the first thing about him?  
  
Ace snatches the wrist of the hand that Yuu used to hold his and raises it up, jerking her forward into his chest so that their bodies are flush against each other. He uses his free hand to yank her chin up to look up at him.   
  
"Is it really me? Or is it some person you made up inside your head?" he asks.  
  
Yuu falls quiet underneath his demanding question. Ace takes this as assent. Anger clouds his expression as he rolls over to straddle Yuu instead.  
  
"Why would you do that when I'm right here?" Ace says. "Look at me."  
  
He entwines his fingers in Yuu's and presses his forehead against hers. His eyes, close up, are watering. He doesn't notice it himself until a tear rolls off his cheek. He starts at the realization and moves the back of his hand to rub it, but Yuu's finger is wiping it away before he can, replacing the salt with sugar.  
  
"I am," Yuu says.   
  
All the dedication to playing tough falls away at those two words. Ace sighs, a long, shaking sigh as if to steady his stuttering heartbeat.  
  
"Don't look away now, then," he says.  
  
He puts his hands on the bra hanging over Yuu's breasts to slide it completely off. His eyes stay on her chest as he gently cups them from underneath, testing the feel. Yuu stifles a laugh at the serious look on his face. It elicits an angry huff from Ace, who tries to pretend it doesn't ruffle his feathers. He draws his mouth to Yuu's chest.  
  
Ace prods his tongue against the pink of her nipple, seeming to test the texture before he takes it into his mouth and sucks. Yuu jumps at the strong pleasure that bursts from her chest from Ace's attention. Without thinking, she ends up pulling Ace closer to her body until their skin is flush. Ace raises his head at the gesture. He grins from ear to ear. With one fluid gesture, he bites the tip of his glove and pulls it off. The bare hand revealed underneath falls on Yuu's lips, his fingertips gently caressing the supple skin.   
  
"Open your mouth," he says, devilish smile hinting his intentions.  
  
Yuu obeys and slowly parts her lips for Ace to stick his finger inside. The pad of his pointer finger crawls the surface of her tongue, sending tingles down Yuu's spine.   
  
"How does it taste?" Ace asks.  
  
Yuu shakes her head ever so slightly, forming a word around Ace's finger that sounds like, "Salty."  
  
The corners of Ace’s lips quirk up, humor dancing in his red eyes. "Figured."  
  
He continues to tease the roof of Yuu's mouth ever so gently before popping the finger out altogether.  
  
"Should be enough," Ace mumbles to himself as he lowers his head again to grind his tongue against Yuu's nipple again. He holds her hips down with his right hand.  
  
It's his left hand that he uses to circle the center of Yuu's other breast. With the still-warm saliva dripping from it, the sensation of his touch is completely changed. Yuu tightens her jaw hard, muffling the groan that threatened to spill from her lips.   
  
"Oh, we're playing it like that?" Ace asks, directing his eyes up to Yuu, nibbling at her chest. "I'm fine forcing your mouth open if you're not gonna do it yourself."  
  
Yuu's left nipple is already hard underneath Ace's touch as he swirls a finger just out of reach of it. Without any warning, he grinds the pad of his finger right into the tip. Yuu starts, but is held down by the steady hold Ace has on her with his right hand that's moved to her stomach, brushing his thumb over her belly button.  
  
Ace continues the onslaught as Yuu lays helpless under him. She tries to rub her legs together but ends up rubbing up against the knee that Ace has wedged between them as she lets loose a moan.  
  
Ace's hand slides his hand up and down the length of Yuu's waist as he raises his head once more. His eyes are dark.  
  
The dry laugh Ace had been holding back finally spills from his lips. His tongue peeks out as he wets them and tries to even his breaths. "So you came here expecting this?"  
  
Yuu stirs underneath Ace, eyes swimming before she's able to meet his gaze and nod ever so slightly. Her cheeks are burning to the point that Ace can feel it when he brushes his knuckles against them. Ace sucks in a breath when Yuu nuzzles her head into the touch.  
  
Ace doesn't think. He just brushes his lips over Yuu's. The kiss deepens when Yuu tangles her fingertips into Ace's hair, the boy taking it as his cue to explore the walls of her mouth.  
  
It tastes so good. It's so good that he could eat her right up. That thought is just enough for Ace's grip on himself to slip - his teeth bite down a little harder than he means to but the taste only gets stronger, more powerful - but he's pulled back to reality by Yuu's hand grabbing at his hair. When he draws back, he sees blood at the sides of Yuu's lips.   
  
Ace's mouth flaps open and closed. A drop of liquid rolls down from his mouth and when he wipes it with a sleeve, it comes back blood red.   
  
Yuu watches him, eyes wide. Her hair is strewn in a halo around her head as she lays beneath him, mouth coppery.   
  
"Why did you stop?" she asks, struggling to enunciate with the wound. She winces every other word.  
  
Ace starts to shiver from head to toe, and the worst part is that he can't tell if it's from fear or pleasure. The visual of the blood dotting the corners of Yuu's mouth and the taste of cherry pie on Ace's tongue don't match up. The reality of the situation he is in sinks in like a rock in his stomach. He shifts backwards, the perfume of Yuu still clinging to him as he does it. Yuu lifts herself up but Ace only inches back more.  
  
"I can't do this," Ace says. And he means it.  
  
He doesn't want to eat his friend. A girl who came from another dimension entirely and into his life, painting his own school life with a burst of color that he hadn't properly seen until today. A girl that would be helpless out in the wide world if he and Deuce weren’t there for her. A girl that would not say a word as he bit down on her and sucked on her blood like it was the sweetest syrup in the world.  
  
"Okay," Yuu replies. Disappointment colors her voice.  
  
"Don't look at me like that," Ace pleads, covering his face with a palm. His paled face begins to burn up as the anxiety seeps away and is replaced with embarrassment at what he's done.   
  
Ace has to fish around for a few moments to find what he's looking for. His Magipen fell onto the floor at some point, and Ace finds it rolled a few inches from the bed. He lifts it and holds Yuu's chin in a hand. "Open your mouth."  
  
When Yuu obeys, the thumb of the hand he held her with slips inside to swipe itself over her tongue. Ace holds his Magipen in his other hand with a serious look on his face. Yuu's tongue stings at the touch at first, but it soon turns into a pleasant tingle as the pain dulls.   
  
"That should help it heal," Ace says and sighs. He looks like the whole situation has aged him several years. "Go home tonight. I'll walk you back."  
  
Yuu nods and before she can grab her own shirt, Ace is picking it up and helping her redress. The walk back is as natural as any other day between the pair. Whenever their eyes are about to lock, though, Ace turns his head away at the last second.


	2. more buildup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's an awkward atmosphere between Ace and Yuu, but a sudden happening forces that to be set aside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hopefully, i'll be able to update with chapter 3 by the end of the week

Even earlier on in Ace and Yuu's friendship, Ace had no sense of personal space. During conversations he'd loop an arm around her shoulder, or grab her hand when pulling her somewhere, or get extra close and whisper in her ear from behind to spook her. For someone who doesn't like drawing eyes in that sense, it was and remains one of the things that Yuu finds peculiar about their relationship. It didn't take long for her to realize what he was feeling for her, even if he didn't realize it himself. Each time he would practice the skinship on Yuu around another boy, it was like a wild animal trying to establish territory. But even that eventually grew into sulking in the aftermath that Ace would never fess up to.   
  
When Yuu tries to draw near Ace during a conversation a week after the incident, he takes a step back as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The only one who raises an eyebrow is Deuce, who picks up on the unspoken tension between his two friends, though only vaguely. Before he can even open his mouth, Ace has him by the shoulder and begins jauntily dragging him off back to the cafeteria they came from, disappearing into the mass of people. Yuu stands silently at a loss until Grim talks from his place in her arms.   
  
"That redhead is actin' strange," he says.  
  
"It's my fault," Yuu replies.   
  
Grim sighs and yawns, shifting in her arms. He'd just eaten his body weight in private school cafeteria fixings.  
  
"Then why dont'cha apologize?" is his flippant answer.  
  
Yuu's grip on Grim tightens until a low whine comes from his throat. "I really should."  
  
"Then do it without strangling me! Mnyahhh!" Grim says, blowing a puff of fire from his fuzzy maw and jumping away from Yuu. He makes a perfect cat-like landing and gives her a glare for the rude wake-up before toddling off into the crowd. He must be feeling rather grumpy today.  
  
Yuu smiles in Grim's direction before turning to go the way Ace and Deuce went. An apology in her mouth, she walks with her eyes searching for the figures of her friends. The trouble, though, is that the cafeteria is filled with more people than ever because of the lunchtime rush. When she walks over the usual corner of the cafeteria that her and the Heartslabyul pair usually sit at, she finds complete strangers looking at her with curiosity. She spins on her heel and walks outside of the place entirely. If they aren't here, they've probably walked off somewhere else.  
  
Yuu is almost to the corridor to the classrooms when someone grabs her by the sleeve. Every muscle in her body goes stiff. By the time she turns, though, she's already prepared a sweet smile. The face that meets her is that of an unknown Diasomnia student.   
  
"What is it?" she asks pleasantly.  
  
"You're a Cake," he says. His pupils are wide as he inhales.   
  
Those three words, delivered with the utmost finality, are the words of a pioneer—someone who’s discovered the yet undiscovered. It makes Yuu want to laugh. They always say it to her as if they were the first and only, rather than the tenth or twentieth. She's magicless and quite delicious, she hears, far from any place that resembles home. The students of Night Raven College always point out to her that vulnerability as if she isn't the most aware of the stone cold reality that stares down at her every day, now in the form of an unfamiliar Diasomnia student.  
  
"Yes," Yuu assents. "So?"  
  
"Come with me," the boy says, pulling her by the wrist off into a different corridor. At the very end of it should be the Hall of Mirrors. Each step that they take progresses them three times more than what one would usually. It isn’t long before Yuu realizes the student is using some kind of magic that is propelling them forward like a conveyor belt.  
  
When thrown into a pit of snakes without protection, weapons or a sharp mind, there is only one way out of the misery.  
  
Yuu's methodology is simple: to accept demise.   
  
Of course, she's been lucky enough to survive each and every scrape, and she's worn it like a badge of honor. But every time there's a sort of low excitement that buzzes in her veins beneath all the humdrum. She is so close to being free. To not have to suffer--to never again lose everything she's known.  
  
Her palm begins to dampen as her pulse quickens, the immediate danger sinking into her veins. But what could she do? Shake off his hand? Call for help? There is no reason to when there isn't a family here to mourn her, a home that is waiting for her, or roots that could possibly be cut by her disappearance. Yuu is a nomad, and there won't be a tear shed when she's gone. That is what she tells herself, so that when she falls into the void, she will not leave behind regrets.

— _But isn’t there one person you’d want to say goodbye to?_

It's in the middle of these thoughts that the Hall of Mirrors begins to enter Yuu's sight, the corridor opening up into the wide open space. There are a decent amount of people around, but all of them are on the move and don't look Yuu's way as she propels ever forward from the Diasomnia student's magic. They finally slow down in front of the mirror to the student's dorm. The boy begins to turn around to shine a dark eye her way, but he doesn't get the chance. A gust of wind buffets the both of them.  
  
Yuu doesn't even make a sound as her feet are lifted off the ground and crashes unceremoniously into some other student's chest, toppling the both of them over. When she raises her head, she finds a familiar face.  
  
"That's overdoing it!" Deuce shouts, a protective arm around Yuu's shoulders.  
  
"Shut up!" Ace says, Magipen brandished.   
  
Ace rushes toward the target of his rage. His feet slam against the floor as he avoids the prone bodies of the students that he'd knocked over with his earlier magic. The students who are standing scramble out of the way, their shouts reaching a fever pitch.   
  
The Diasomnia student, having been interrupted unexpectedly, lays dazed on his back for a moment. He takes a few seconds to possibly orient himself before attempting to prop himself up, but Ace doesn't let him. His foot meets his chest, slamming the boy back onto the marble.  
  
"You thought she was an easy target, didn't you?" Ace shouts. "You thought you could just up and spirit her away and that she'd never cross anyone's minds ever again."  
  
Ace's voice shakes with anger. Yuu can only see the back of his head until Ace turns his neck and flicks his eyes her way. The blood red gaze pins her down. Absently, it crosses her mind that he's aiming the cut of his words in her direction as well, hypocritically enough.  
  
The short distraction is an opportunity. Ace is knocked off his feet by some unseen force. Now in full view, the Diasomnia student stands with his Magipen in hand. He's silent as his chest rises and falls with each breath, a low aura starting to envelop him as he looks down at Ace, who is now sputtering and desperately scratching at his neck.  
  
Deuce's eyes meet Yuu's, a question in them, and she nods. His arm slips from her shoulders as he stands to jump in --  
  
But he doesn't get the chance.  
  
A shrill cry cuts into the racket. "Off with your heads!"   
  
In the next moment, a very familiar collar clasps itself around both Ace and the Diasomnia students' necks. Ace's hands that were scratching at his neck meet hard metal and his expression very humorously turns into that of horror. It warps as he coughs, attempting to fill his lungs again. Deuce, who was ready to run in and save the day, is frozen where he's standing looking utterly frantic—a look that only a Heartslabyul student can have in the face of an angry Riddle.  
  
Riddle's shoes clack on the floor as he steadily picks his way through the crowd that had gathered around the fight. The air grows heavy with the presence of a dorm head and students begin taking space or leaving altogether - the show they'd been watching is over.   
  
When Riddle opens his mouth, his low and even voice echoes throughout the chamber. "What do you have to say for yourself?"  
  
Before Ace can even reply, though, Riddle continues with another slew of sharply pointed words aimed at the member of his dorm. 

"I was ready to scold you already when I saw you and Deuce sprinting through the halls - a clear breach of school policy! - and before I even get the chance, you use your magic unauthorized against another student with the intent to start a fight,” he scolds Ace. “I would say I'm disappointed in you, but I'm afraid you’ve long dashed any faith I had in you."  
  
The Diasomnia student slowly inches backwards. When he's put enough distance between himself and the Heartslabyul students, he gets to his feet and pivots in the direction of his dorm mirror. He jumps inside without looking back.  
  
"Hey!" Ace hollers, starting in the boy's direction. "Get back here!"  
  
He loses his balance, however, when Riddle grips the collar of his jacket. He lands unceremoniously on his ass. He swivels back to the dorm head, anger burning in his eyes.   
  
"That guy was going to hurt Yuu!" Ace shouts.  
  
Riddle frowns as he stares at the mirror the boy disappeared through.   
  
"I know," he responds simply.  
  
Ace cuts in. "Then--!"  
  
Riddle raises a hand, silencing Ace. "I know. Why do you think I used my unique magic on a student who isn't my own? I'm going to have a short chat with Malleus and see if something can be done about the incident... between us dorm heads."  
  
Ace grows quiet under the second-year's serious expression even though it’s clear on his face that he still hasn't had his say. Riddle doesn’t miss this and sighs before knitting his eyebrows tight.  
  
"What you did could have gotten you expelled," Riddle says. His face turns a few shades redder as the anger he'd been holding back rears its head. "You should be grateful I stepped in! I'm going to think up a proper punishment for you later, rest assured. I don't want to hear a word more. We're heading directly back to Heartslabyul."  
  
Ace is dragged along with Riddle as he pulls the two toward the Heartslabyul mirror, but the first-year turns around just once to look at Yuu. When he sees her completely unharmed, a look of relief flashes over his features. The slight smile on his face disappears as he's pulled off into his dorm.

* * *

Yuu is settled back at Ramshackle when a lone cellular tone rings out into the empty expanse. She picks her way towards the living room table and sees the phone's display lit up with the name Ace on it.  
  
As soon as she swipes the screen to answer the call, her ears are assaulted by a furious voice.  
  
"Why didn't you holler for help?" Ace shouts. "You could have called for me. I was right behind you with Deuce but you never even looked our way."  
  
Yuu, stunned, is silent for a few beats. She opens her mouth to respond. "I--"  
  
Ace cuts in before she can even get a word in. In that way, he's similar to Riddle.   
  
"You said you were looking at me, the real me, but that's not true, is it?" he says. "Because if you were, you wouldn’t have kept your eyes on the ground looking ready to die. You would have searched for me."  
  
"What about you?" Yuu snaps back. Her voice is sharp as she slams the brakes on Ace's train of thought right there and then. "Are you looking at the real me?"  
  
Yuu frowns, rubbing a bruised wrist before speaking again. "When you first saw me. Wasn't I just food to you?"  
  
The line on the other side falls quiet. After a long pause, Ace says, voice low, "Wait there."   
  
There's a beep as the line is cut, Ace apparently having hung up. Yuu stares at her phone screen with a look of incredulity. She shakes her head and sighs. Without hesitation, she lights some candles to illuminate the space, beginning to tidy for her incoming visitor.  
  
When a knock finally comes at the door, it's been an hour and a fire is burning bright in the hearth. Yuu pokes at it a few times with a rod before setting it down and striding over to the entrance way.   
  
"It's me," Ace calls. There's a strange quality to his voice.  
  
Yuu isn't in the least surprised by the appearance. She turns the doorknob and opens the door, stepping aside to allow room for Ace to slip inside. She freezes midway, though, when she sees him.  
  
"What?" Ace says, sulking. He has a hand cupped over his neck -- his bare neck.  
  
"Did Riddle undo his unique magic?" Yuu gasps with disbelief, even having the evidence right in front of her.  
  
Ace is frowning as he replies. His mood is at one of the lowest Yuu's seen in recent times.   
  
"Yeah," is his one-word reply.  
  
Just then, Yuu's phone dings. When she fishes it out of her pocket, there's a text from Deuce on the screen, late to the chase. "Apologized with Ace to Riddle. Was rough. Collar got taken off. He's headed your way."  
  
"You apologized to Riddle?" Yuu asks, mind even more boggled than before. Ace never apologizes for anything.   
  
The corners of Ace's lips comically pull even more downward. He scoffs and turns his face away, clearly embarrassed. "Yeah! I did! So what?!"  
  
Yuu has to hold herself back from laughing. Where Ace can't see, her shoulders shake with the effort of silencing the giggles that threaten to spill from her lips. She clears her throat and smiles placidly.  
  
"Do you want to come in and sit down?" she offers.  
  
Yuu's gentle voice prods Ace out of his sulking. He looks back her way and nods, sighing.  
  
The door clicks closed behind Ace as he walks into the lounge with Yuu trailing behind him. He plops on the sofa without ceremony. He pats the cushion next to him and Yuu obliges.   
  
"I've got something to tell you," Ace says. When he looks at Yuu, there is no trace of the usual humor that dances in his eyes.  
  
"You're not wrong that I was drawn to you as a Fork," Ace says. "But you've pinned me for a completely different type of person. There are plenty of Cakes around that smell just as good as you."  
  
"You seemed to be rather fixated on my scent, if I remember right," Yuu replies.

"Okay--you've got a scent that I like--but that's not the point, all right?" Ace sighs, rubbing his nose with his forefingers. "We were friends. We _are_ friends."

"Friends," Yuu echoes. Her eyes peer into Ace's face, seemingly trying to read any emotion on it. "Just friends?"  
  
"I'm getting to that part!" Ace snaps, face burning. His shoulders tighten as he scoots away to take space from Yuu.  
  
A long, drawn out breath leaves Ace's lungs before he looks Yuu square in the eyes. His lips are pulled back as he opens his mouth. "You're special to me."  
  
Yuu isn't able to catch herself fast enough this time. Laughter tears from her chest, shaking her ribs. The old creaky springs in the couch screech as she struggles to breathe. Just when she begins to calm down, one look at Ace's dumbfounded face is enough to send her into another fit. It takes a solid minute for her to regain her composure, and by that time Ace's frown almost reaches the floor. He looks like he could snap at any moment. Yet at present he, amazingly, has the ounce of maturity needed to know now isn't the time.  
  
"I mean, you were one of the first people I got to know here," Ace continues, screwing his face up. He does a crack job at smoothing his voice over despite how tacked-on the words sound. "And we just ended up knowing each other for this long? It was a coincidence at best."  
  
"Your point?" Yuu says, sidling right up to him despite his complaints.  
  
"I can't take it anymore!" Ace shouts. His hands are on Yuu's shoulders in a flash, pushing her away. He gets to his feet. "Forget it. I'm going to go back."


	3. the spice

Ace marches to the door, ready to stamp his feet all the way back to Heartslabyul. He can hear the floor creak behind him as Yuu's footsteps trail close behind. He's paces away from the door when he feels a tug on his sleeve. He turns around, ready to snap at Yuu to try to mask how flushed his face is. He doesn't get the chance. As soon as he looks her way, her lips are on his in a gentle kiss.   
  
All the bravado Ace built up melts away in that moment. Yuu's sweet cherry smell tickles his nose closer than ever and without thinking, he finds his arms circling her body.   
  
"I'm sorry," Yuu murmurs by his ear. "Come back inside."  
  
Despite everything, Ace finds himself nodding. When Yuu's hand clasps his and pulls him upstairs, he follows, hand shaking. Up they go, wood planks groaning underneath their weight until the door closes behind them in Yuu's room.   
  
It's his first time ever entering the space and he finds his eyes combing through the place as if to pick up every detail. The room is rather tidy, but at the same time, feels hollow - on a school campus full of vibrant color and personality, Yuu's room is flat and dull. Drab curtains lay limp over the windows; her aged bed seems to sink to the floor. Ace sees an echo of it in the empty eyes that Yuu looks up at him with.  
  
Ace slides a palm over Yuu's cheek and she lowers her lids in response, leaning into the touch like she has before. Ace watches this, chest tight.  
  
"I'm not going to hurt you," he says. "I'm not a monster like that other guy."  
  
Yuu's eyelashes flutter, slowly revealing two clear, unblemished mirrors. He sees unrest in the reflection staring at him.   
  
"I know," is her two word response. She breathes it out like a sweet sigh, and Ace knows that she's saying it for his sake. He envelops one of her hands in his and tugs her to the bed, guiding her to lay down. He lifts himself up onto the bed to straddle her as he lowers his head for a kiss.  
  
The first kiss is light, chaste, as if to have a quick taste of Yuu's lips. Ace's lips are soft as they meet Yuu's, catching her lower lip between to give it a playful bite. The kiss gradually grows deeper, Ace's tongue slipping through to trace the backs of Yuu's teeth until her hands bury themselves in his hair. By the time Ace pulls back, the pair are both struggling for air. Ace's lids grow heavy as his head becomes drunk on the taste of his favorite food from childhood.  
  
Ace's hands wander over the line of Yuu's body, his touch dulled through the layers of clothing but still drawing a shiver just from the situation itself. Ace doesn't miss it and, a smile playing on his lips, plants a kiss to Yuu's collarbone as he begins to undo the buttons of her school blazer.   
  
"Did you keep your school clothes on just so I'd undress them?" he asks, joking.  
  
"Now why would I do that?" Yuu replies coyly.   
  
Ace huffs a laugh over Yuu's chest before burying his face in it, torso expanding as he fills his lungs with her scent. When he pulls away, he lifts Yuu's jacket from her and disposes of it on the floor. Yuu circles her arms around Ace's shoulders, a gentle ask that Ace doesn't hesitate to answer. He holds her close enough to feel her butterfly pulse against his. Placing a kiss on the crook of her neck, he moves to expertly undo the buttons on her blouse to remove it and have it join the jacket on the floor. With only a bra left covering her, Ace finds free reign for his lips as he plants a trail of kisses all the way to her belly button. Yuu, seemingly ticklish from Ace's breath on her skin, twists her body a little underneath him. Ace moves his hand from its place on her waist tantalizingly slow until it reaches the edge of her bra. His fingers tease it up so that he can sneak his hand inside, gently cupping her breast from below. Ace can feel the smile on his face fall away as his attention is pulled into the soft feeling at his fingertips. When he hears a giggle from above, Ace pouts as he moves to remove the bra altogether.  
  
Yuu lifts her back to give Ace the freedom to unhook the straps and he does so without struggle. He slips it from her shoulders and stares at the sight before him. He has no real words - it's beautiful. And he knows the second that he shows it on his face, Yuu will never let him live it down. He tries to hide it by pressing his lips to the tip of her breast, hand crawling the length of her waist.  
  
A sweet sigh escapes Yuu's lips, just audible enough for Ace to pick up on it. He slips his tongue out to prod the pink of her breast, tentatively tasting the soft flesh before he gives it a good suck. Every tastebud on his tongue bursts from the cherry rolling on his tongue every time he licks her nipples. When he's tasting one, he lets his hand swirl a finger over the other. It isn't long until both of Yuu's nipples are hard and shiny with drool. Gently massaging her breast, Ace shifts back up for a kiss, face flushed and panting hard. The kiss is rough right off the bat, Ace's forcing his tongue inside Yuu's mouth and grazing his teeth over her lips. Ace draws a little too close and ends up pressing his erection against Yuu. Before he can move, though, Yuu locks her legs around him, bucking her hips. Ace has to stifle a moan.   
  
Ace pushes down on Yuu's stomach with a palm. "You're too eager."  
  
Yuu frowns, pink coloring her cheeks. "Why shouldn't I be?"  
  
Ace can feel his face go beet red. Before she can say anything more, Ace's other hand is over her mouth. Her arguments are muffled.   
  
"We're not going that far yet," Ace tells her. "Let's take our time."  
  
When Ace's hand slips away from Yuu's mouth, she opens it straightaway. "What happened to your catchphrase? 'Make it quick'?"  
  
"Shut up!" Ace shouts, face burning. "You think I'm some kind of selfish bastard?"  
  
Yuu's reply is a thoughtful hum. Ace scoffs and begins to shift his body lower. He slides a hand over her thigh to her calf, guiding her to open her legs so he can reposition himself to kneel in front of her. He unbuckles her belt with ease and undoes the button of her slacks to unzip it and slide it from her legs with a few meaningful tugs. At the end of it all, he settles back in front of her, fingers brushing over the crotch of her panties.  
  
"You feel that?" Ace says.  
  
The fabric is soaked. His nail drags over it, up and down and up again until Yuu's shoulders shudder from the sensation. He finally grinds his nail over her clit. A high-pitched noise leaps from Yuu's throat. She's the one to cover her mouth this time, face reddening. Ace grins at her. He shifts again until his head is between her thighs, palms gliding over the soft skin. Ace's eyes stay locked on Yuu's as his tongue peeks out and touches Yuu's clit through her panties. She tries to move but Ace's hands lock over the tops of her thighs, keeping her legs dangling over his shoulders. She can only twitch her hips as Ace begins to lick in earnest over the fabric, digging the tip of his tongue into her entrance before pressing the flat of his tongue over her clit and grinding it up and down. At the point her panties are soggy from both arousal and Ace's saliva, Yuu digs her nails into Ace's scalp until he finally stops and looks up.  
  
Yuu's eyes are pleading, her face flushed as she huffs breaths. Ace bats his eyelashes innocently and tilts his head with infuriatingly feigned ignorance. "Something the matter, Prefect?"  
  
Yuu pulls on his hair. The shit-eating grin on his face is wiped clean off.   
  
"Ow, ow!" he yelps. "Okay, stop that, stop."  
  
His hand overlaps Yuu's and she loosens her grip, glaring daggers in his direction. Ace grumpily tugs at her panties and moves to the side to slip them from her ankles. He gulps as he repositions himself between her thighs. Without the thin piece of fabric shielding Ace from her, the sweet smell of cherries hits him hard until all that's on his mind is licking her slit clean. His hot breath brushes directly against Yuu's skin, raising goosebumps all over her body. He presses his lips against her core, a quick kiss, before he begins gliding his tongue over her. This time, his fingers tug on her skin to open her up fully to give himself more coverage. When he's at her entrance, he brushes the thumb of his free hand over her clit. When he shifts his attention to her clit, licking and sucking, he teases a finger over her entrance. She starts to clench as if inviting him in. Ace doesn't realize Yuu's thighs are squeezing his head until he tries to move and he finds he can't. He flicks his eyes up and finally hears her gasping his name.   
  
Ace reassuringly slides his hands over her thighs until she loosens up. He plants a trail of kisses along her stomach as he tests the feel of her entrance with a finger. His fingertip sinks inside her with ease, her walls squeezing him as he explores deeper. When he's up to his knuckle, he starts to search. He presses around while watching for any reaction with his eyes. Gently, he curls his finger and Yuu moans, body twisting.   
  
"Feels good?" he asks, voice soft.

Yuu nods shyly. She reaches her hands out and Ace responds right away, shifting to put his lips on hers while fucking her with a finger. The moans that leave her throat when his fingertip rubs up against her weak spot are swallowed up by Ace, tongue tangled with hers. By the time he tests adding the second finger, Yuu's been worked hard enough to accept it right away. Curling both the fingers makes Yuu _jump_. Ace doesn't stop what he's doing, instead continuing to explore her mouth as he pushes her to the edge. He pulls away when Yuu's moans become a high-pitched whine and watches her face twist as his thumb brushes against her clit. Her legs shake as she cums clenching around Ace's fingers greedily. 

Ace pulls out his dripping fingers and runs his tongue along them to taste the result of Yuu's arousal. The sweetness sends shivers down his spine. His cock aches from straining against the crotch of his pants.   
  
"Give me a second," he says, easing himself off the bed.   
  
Yuu props herself up on her elbows, watching with blurry eyes as Ace takes off his jacket and slips a hand into its pocket, pulling out a piece of square plastic. When he turns around, he flashes her a mischievous smile. "Just needed to grab something really quick."

He rips the package open before straddling Yuu, pressing his lips over hers in a passionate kiss. There’s some shifting around her head as Ace switches what hand he’s leaning on, and when he’s pulled away his pants are unzipped, cock freed and wrapped in a condom. He’s seated himself between Yuu’s legs.  
  
Ace frowns, body stilling. “I need to tell you something first.”

He averts his eyes and attempts to hide his face with the back of his hand. “The way I saw you when we first met is different than now. You’re important.”

Before Yuu can say anything back, he’s lowered his hand. His red eyes glint dangerously. “I’m going to put it in.”

His eyes scan Yuu’s face and she nods. He takes it as assent and guides his cock with a hand so that his head presses right up against Yuu’s entrance. Any words that could leave her mouth in that moment are lost under the look Ace has pinned Yuu down with. His mouth is partially open as he heaves breaths, cheeks pink. He moves his hips forward, sinking his cock deeper inside Yuu. By the time it’s completely in, both Ace and Yuu are shiny with sweat. Ace’s face is strained as he struggles to handle the overwhelming perfume of Yuu combined with the warm walls wrapped around his cock. Ace has to fight the urge to start thrusting and kisses Yuu’s neck until her breathing evens out. His hands crawl her skin and land at her breasts, cupping them and pinching her nipples. She squeezes him and he groans.

“How do you feel?” he asks in place of his actual question.

“You can move,” Yuu says. She squeezes his cock.

“Stop that, damn it,” he complains. His shoulder muscles flex underneath Yuu’s hands as he begins thrusting slowly.

Yuu goes still underneath Ace and he watches her curiously. Her eyes are closed and she’s pursed her lips as if she were trying to bear through it. She hadn’t batted an eyelash when he was seconds from biting off her tongue. Needless to say, it’s the first time Ace has seen her make this kind of face. 

“You okay?” he asks. 

Her eyes flutter open when he caresses her cheek with his knuckles. Tears spill out and roll down her face. Ace’s heart thumps in his chest at the sight. Not knowing what to do, he brushes his lips over the tears to wipe them away. They taste like the sugary syrup that gathers at the bottom of the pie tin. Yuu scrunches her face from the ticklish sensation. Ace smooths her hair over with a hand, peering into her eyes with a concerned look. 

“Does it hurt?” Ace asks.

Yuu blinks at the question, seemingly taken off guard. She shakes her head ever so slightly and rubs at her eyes. 

“No,” she says. “I’m just... This is the first time I’ve had sex with someone who cares about me this much.”

Ace’s mouth gapes open like a fish. 

“What makes you think that I care about you?” he pauses. “Don’t actually answer that.”

Ace can feel himself grow even harder inside Yuu and she seems to notice, smiling softly his way. Ace frowns at the attention. He doesn’t like to be played with and around Yuu, he never seems to have hold of the situation. He sighs and buries his head into her chest, sucking at her left nipple and circling the right with a finger. It doesn’t take long until Yuu’s hips start bucking of their own accord. She starts to squeeze Ace as if to ask him to start pumping his cock already. Finally, the corners of Ace’s lips start to quirk up even as he has to fight being swallowed up in the overstimulation of his senses.

Ace looks up at Yuu until she gives him the nod. When she does, he starts moving in slow, short strokes, watching for her reaction. There’s no sign of the tears that were in her eyes. Instead, Yuu has started to blush, her skin reddening from her cheeks all the way down to her chest. Without meaning to, Ace begins thrusting harder than before. Tinted in red and burning to the touch, Yuu looks _delicious_. Her scent fills Ace’s being from head to toe and he doesn’t even think before burying his face in her neck and grazing the skin with his teeth as he pounds her. It only takes a gentle brush of Yuu’s hand over the back of his head, though, to bring him back. When he pulls away, there’s the slightest mark of a bite left on her skin. The sight is satisfying, somehow, even though Ace should have felt scared.

Ace slows down to a soft back-and-forth with his cock sheathed in her, teasing the entrance of Yuu’s cervix. Yuu twists her body at the stimulation, a moan leaving her throat. Following some advice he’d heard from his brother, he slides his hand over Yuu’s breast, caressing her waist--before finally landing at her lower stomach and pressing down while still grinding his head inside her.

Yuu’s back arcs at the sudden pleasure that shocks her body. Her head falls back, exposing her neck. Ace dips his head down and presses a kiss to the bottom of her chin before nipping the skin of her neck with love bites. He locks lips with the sensitive skin and starts sucking. Afterwards, he draws back to appreciate his work. 

“Did you leave a hickey on my neck?” Yuu asks, wide-eyed. It’s a strangely innocent response for someone who’s slept with people who had to have been rougher than Ace. 

“Yeah,” Ace replies simply. “Why?”

“It’s nothing,” Yuu says. Then she smiles the most heart-melting smile. “I’m just happy.”

Ace knits his brows tight, pursing his lips, unsure how to react to the unexpected answer to his question. The way Yuu expressed appreciation for even the most basic of sex etiquette—the way she acts as if Ace’s mere show of jealousy is the world’s greatest gift—these things weigh on Ace’s mind.

Ace opens his mouth and before he knows it, the words are spilling out. “You’re worth a lot more than you think you are. The hickey—I’m just trying to get other guys to back off. It’s not really a favor for you.”

Yuu blinks at the sudden outpour, confusion on her face until the meaning of his words dawn on her. A soft smile plays on her lips. “I don’t like you because my standards are low. Aces aren’t the weakest just because they represent the number one, right?”

Ace puts a hand over Yuu’s mouth for the Nth time that day. “Okay, that’s enough.”

Ace hasn’t been himself all day and he’d just let the most embarrassing phrase of that night slip from his mouth — he isn’t going to let that happen again. 

Yuu circles her arms around his shoulders and he responds, drawing her closer. Ace feels as if he’s burning wherever their skin is touching. Drunk on the heat, scent, and sight of Yuu, Ace keeps pistoning into Yuu until they both hit climax.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i want to thank(?) my (poor, confused) beta reader (who didn't know what cakeverse was and thought i meant fork as a bad metaphor and that i was drunk) for pushing me to always be more feral even when i thought this was going to be an innocent drabble. this would never have gotten to what it is right now without her encouragement (/yelling(?)). in her wise words, to my question how much do i want to write? do i want to make them boink or not?: "as far as the horizon stretches. your heart wants the boink"
> 
> that being said, she is very busy and wasn't able to beta the entire of this work. if anyone wants to beta some stuff lemme know!


	4. extra

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some extra stuff from deuce's perspective!

“Please Riddle, sir! Just this once!”

Even Riddle’s face colors with surprise as Ace gets to his knees in front of him. The Heartslabyul dorm lead is tempted to pinch his cheek and make sure he’s seeing straight, but the doubt is soon washed away with grim satisfaction.

“Ace—you’ve finally learned how to apologize,” Riddle says, smiling mirthfully. The sight is a terrifying one after spotting the dark look in his eyes. “I’d expect nothing less from a promising first year such as yourself.”

Deuce is watching this scene from as far away as possible as he can, along with his two other roommates and pretty much every Heartslabyul student on that floor. Just in case things go south, the distance ensures everyone can try to get away without getting wrapped up in the chaos. 

Most of the dorm is familiar with Ace and those who aren’t really have still heard stories about him, promising basketball player and best friend of the magicless female student. He also is the only student who had his head offed on the very first day of school. That fact is enough to draw a crowd to see that same person beg for Riddle’s forgiveness—something that you would never, ever see from that guy. 

“Aren’t you going to go help Ace?” one of Deuce’s roommates asks in a whisper.

“What? Why would I?” Deuce whispers back. Sure, he was ready to jump in when Ace was getting his ass handed to him, but that was because if he left him then he would have probably been hospitalized. 

Though—another big part of it was that he was kind of pissed that that Diasomnia student tried to lay his hands on someone from his inner circle. Ace and him had spotted him grab her from the gardens while Deuce was scolding him about how he was treating Yuu. Ace had just gone on about how he was going to leave Yuu be for a while, but he threw that to the wind when he saw how the Diasomnia student pulled Yuu like a ragdoll. He broke into in a flat out sprint. When Ace looked back to Deuce, he didn’t hesitate to nod. He understood without Ace even having to say a word.

“Didn’t you hear Ace on the phone? He was talking to Yuu and then hung up all of a sudden and ran out to go talk to Riddle,” the roommate says. 

Ah. Deuce doesn’t know exactly what was said in the conversation that probably went on while he was glaring at his math textbook, but he doesn’t have to. There’s something about Yuu that tends to spur people to action, Ace especially. It should have occurred to Deuce sooner that Ace is doing this for Yuu’s sake somehow. There isn’t really any other reason why he’d go and perform a second-rate soap opera right in front of a live Heartslabyul audience—to Ace, that act is like willingly walking on hot coals. Deuce would do the same for Yuu, though, so he feels a pang of empathy. Though he’d _never_ admit it.

Deuce sighs and gets up, walking into the dorm lounge. Riddle looks at him with curiosity. Deuce simply and silently lines up next to Ace, getting on his knees. 

“It wasn’t Ace’s fault,” he shouts, head bowed down. 

* * *

Ace’s eyes crack open not from the light pouring through the window, but from the sound of a phone ringing. Curled up in threadbare sheets, he lifts himself up onto his elbows to feel around for the phone that is making the incessant racket.

As soon as his hand closes around the device, he hits the wake button to decline the call. He slips back into bed and wraps his arms around Yuu’s waist to pull her closer until their skin is flush against each other. Her torso rises and falls ever so slightly as she lay asleep, dreaming ever so soundlessly on a Saturday morning. The sight makes Ace sigh in satisfaction as he buries his head in her hair. 

* * *

Mask on, rubber gloves pulled over his hands, and a toilet brush in one hand, Deuce has everything he needs to start cleaning the Heartslabyul toilets. Except one thing.

“Where the hell are you?” Deuce grumbles while staring at his smartphone screen. He’d already called the bastard ten times. They’d both taken the fall for getting Ace uncollared, and it came at the steep price of having to clean the dorm toilets for two months. Deuce should’ve had an inkling of this outcome when Ace hadn’t come back to their share room last night, but he’s still somehow taken off guard by the brazen skipping out on the punishment Riddle doled out for them. 

Deuce rips off his gloves and tosses them into the nearby sink, fury written all over his face. “That’s it.”

Deuce is going to go and grab Ace from the Ramshackle dorm if it kills him doing it. And it very well might, if Riddle catches him skipping out on cleaning the toilets along with Ace. _Just you wait, Asshole Trappola._


End file.
